# How to use login based License Management in Tableau 2020.1

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2020-02-27
- **Format:** Video · 2 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Tool strategy
- **Tools:** Tableau (cloud, server)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-login-based-license-management-in-tableau-2020-1
- **Watch:** https://www.youtu.be/ljZcSbJccic

I walk through login-based license management, a feature introduced in Tableau 2020.1. It lets you activate Tableau Desktop using your Tableau Server on-premise or Tableau Online credentials rather than a traditional product key, tying your role-based licence to your login.

## Key takeaways

- Login-based license management lets you activate Tableau Desktop using your Tableau Server or Tableau Online credentials instead of a product key
- You access it via Help > Manage Product Keys, then choose the login option and enter your server address
- After logging in you select the appropriate site, and Tableau checks with the server to confirm activation rights
- The feature requires activation to be enabled server-side, and it surfaces a clear message if you don't have a valid licence

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/how-to-use-login-based-license-management-in-tableau-2020-1

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena